Camp Castor is an international
peacekeeping
Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare.
Within the United N ...
forward operating base
A forward operating base (FOB) is any secured forward Operational level of war, operational level military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives. A FOB may or may not contain an airfi ...
in the town of
Gao
Gao , or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley.
For much of its history Gao was an impor ...
, Mali, supporting activities of the
(MINUSMA) since 2014.
History
After the Netherlands contributed 380 troops to MINUSMA in April 2014, these forces began building Camp Castor to accommodate special forces and helicopters among other assets. German aircraft replaced the seven departing Dutch helicopters in early 2017, as overall command of the base also transitioned to the ''
Bundeswehr
The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...
''. Special forces from Denmark and the Czech Republic were also stationed at Castor.
Location
Camp Castor is in between the joint civilian-military MINUSMA camp Supercamp and the southeastern edge of the
Gao International Airport
Gao International Airport , also known as Korogoussou Airport, is an airport in Gao, Mali.
Airlines and destinations
In addition to civilian travel, Gao serves the adjacent Malian military base Camp Firhoun Ag Alinsar as well as the German mi ...
. The French army operates a nearby base serving
Operation Barkhane
Operation Barkhane was an anti-insurgent operation that started on 1 August 2014 and formally ended on 9 November 2022. It was led by the French military against Islamist groups in Africa's Sahel region.[Malian army
The Malian Armed Forces (french: links=no, Forces Armées Maliennes) consists of the Army (french: Armée de Terre, links=no), Republic of Mali Air Force (french: Force Aérienne de la Republique du Mali, links=no), and National Guard (french: G ...]
base. Adjoined to Castor is the UK element of MINUSMA; Camp Bagnold, housing LRRG(M) with supporting elements from the Army and RAF.
Incidents
An
Apache helicopter
The Boeing AH-64 Apache () is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vis ...
of the
Dutch Army
The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...
crashed in March 2015 after an attempted emergency landing near Gao.
In July 2017 a Camp Castor-based, German
Eurocopter Tiger
The Eurocopter Tiger is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter which first entered service in 2003. It is manufactured by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter), which arose from the merger of Aérospatiale's and DASA's respective he ...
crashed at Tabankort in
Bourem Cercle
Bourem Cercle is an administrative subdivision of the Gao Region of north-eastern Mali. The administrative center (''chef-lieu'') is the town of Bourem.
The cercle is divided into five communes:.
* Bamba
*Bourem
Bourem is a commune and sma ...
, killing both crewmembers.
Media Coverage
The German
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
published a 40-episode video series documenting the everyday lives of peacekeeping troops in Camp Castor.
References
{{Reflist
Military of the Netherlands
Gao Region